Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 7/10
Cast: Jenny Slate, Kevin Hart, Ellie Kemper, Albert Brooks, Lake Bell, Eric Stonestreet, Louis C.K., Steve Coogan, Tara Strong, Dana Carvey, Jim Cummings, Hannibal Buress, Bobby Moynihan, Lori Alan, Laraine Newman, Carlos Alazraqui, John Kassir, Brian T. Delaney, Bill Farmer, Bob Bergen, Mona Marshall, John Cygan, Michael Beattie, Sasha Lester, Jan Rabson.
If only pets could talk, if all animals were able to tell us exactly what they want and why they want it, perhaps the world would be a hell of a lot nicer place to live; till that becomes a possibilty outside of science fiction, there will always be the strain of human misguidance and misjudgement when it comes to The Secret Life of Pets.
There is always room in the world for more studio animation, especially if it done well and captures a morsal of morality, the emphasis of the buddy movie or a taste of the darkness that resides in all great films. Whether it is the Toy Story franchise, the superb spin off from Despicable Me, Minions, or the utterly gorgeous Inside Out, the 21st Century has a high standard of animated pleasure to live up to and admire. Not every film has the ability to be as cunning or as smart as Inside Out, perhaps not as friendly, as heart breaking as Toy Story but there is nothing wrong with aiming to be as good and that is where The Secret Life of Pets comes in; somewhere in between but still enticing enough to follow all the way through.
The Secret Life of Pets is no Inside Out, of that it must be emphasised but then it was never meant to be, it is a different market to the would be psychologists who cannot get enough of the emotions wrought out in a film designed to play literally with emotions, this is for those that revel in the action and rush of finding your best friend in the world, the unexpected guest in your basket who turns out to be the one who fights for you the hardest. It is a a rare thing to find yourself in a scrap with the biggest dog in the yard only to find that they are the ones growling with you at the world and every other animal who has been deserted along the way.
The cast might not be the most recognisble to the ears of those who make their way to such animated treasures and with the exception of Dana Carvey, British fans of the genre might find it difficult to place many of the voice artists on parade but neverthless are captivating enough in their delivery to give the film the quality of assurance needed to make it believable enough to care about the creatures on the screen.
A film which will no doubt spawn a sequel, a direct contender to the buddy ethos impossed and laid down by Toy Story, The Secret Life of Pets is not to be missed.
Ian D. Hall